


Lost in Constellation

by Tell_Me_Tales



Series: Stuff I'll Never Finish ...Oops [3]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: 'cause I'm lazy as they come, ...and I'm still not likely to do anything more with this, A Story in Drabble-Length Chapters, Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, I've got something of a plot planned out, Weirdmageddon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-08
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-12 07:14:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 1,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12954087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tell_Me_Tales/pseuds/Tell_Me_Tales
Summary: During Weirdmageddon, Bill shakes a much smaller hand than Stanley's.Fair Warning:This isn't likely to get past the eighteen drabble-chapters I've already written. Not because I don't know where I want to take this (because I do havesomeidea) but because I'm too lazy to write it all out and I've got too many story ideas to even try making them all a reality. Sorry. But I wrote this little bit, so may as well share it. Enjoy.





	1. Chapter 1

"My only condition is that you let my brother and the kids go!"

They'd had a plan, him and Ford.

"Fine."

It wasn't perfect, but it was what they had and it was _working_.

"No, Grunkle Ford! Don't trust him!"

He was orchestrating his own death, but it would be worth it. For them. For his family.

"It's a --"

Too bad they'd forgotten to take one small almost-teenager's courage (and desperation) into account.

"Wait! I'll make you a better deal!"

And just like that, it all began to unravel.

"..."

No one dared to breathe as the demon froze.

"...I'm listening."


	2. Chapter 2

Dipper struggles to breathe past the growing panic bearing down on his chest. He can do this. He can. He has to.

"You're looking for a way past the weirdness barrier, right? The one keeping you in Gravity Falls?"

Bill's eye narrows. The demon considers the man in front of him for a moment more before withdrawing his hand. He turns to examine what the boy is offering him instead. "And what do you know about that, Pine Tree?"

Dipper swallows his nerves the best he is able and hopes his bluff will be good enough to save his family.


	3. Chapter 3

"It's in Grunkle Ford's first journal," Dipper starts, "He met you after he'd already started writing the second one, so that's why you didn't know about it; he'd already studied it and moved on, so..." The boy trails off as the demon floats closer and towers over him.

"Keep going, Pine Tree," Bill demands, "I wanna know how it is you think you can make me a 'better deal' than Stanford, here, can. C'mon, tell me what it is I'm missing."

"I've spent the summer reading the journals; I have them all memorized. I can give you what you want."


	4. Chapter 4

"So, you can make me the same deal as good ol' Sixer," Bill says impatiently, "I'm still waiting for the  _ better _ part."

Dipper swallows. "Because I'm not Ford."

The dream demon glances back at the men behind him. He's ensnared both of them in fearamid arms and added an extra loop around their mouths in order to smother their screaming. As much as he'd normally enjoy their cries of terror, at the moment it's nothing more than an unneeded distraction. "I seem to remember making lots of deals with Fordsie that worked out fine for me, back in the day."


	5. Chapter 5

"That's just it!" Dipper hurries to say, "It's been thirty years since then, and he's spent all that time thinking up ways to kill you. Do you really want to risk whatever traps he might have set up for you in his mind?"

Bill pauses. He turns around to face the boy slowly and stares down at him for a long, stretching moment. "You know, you might be on to something there, Pine Tree," he says, "You've got yourself a deal."

"Wait!" the almost-teen protests, "I have a different condition than Great Uncle Ford!"

"Oh? And what is  _ your _ condition?"


	6. Chapter 6

Mabel latches onto her brother's vest and tugs. "Dipper, no," she whispers.

"It's okay, Mabel," he whispers back, "Don't be afraid." Her twin spares her a wobbly smile that doesn't make it to his eyes.

Fear leaves her paralyzed as she watches the nightmare unfolding. It can't be real.

"My family is bigger than just Mabel, Stan, and Ford," Dipper announces, "and if I make this deal, you'll be able to go anywhere. So I want you to leave the whole town alone -- and Piedmont, too! A-actually, just make that all of California and Oregon."

"...Kid, you got a **DEAL**."


	7. Chapter 7

Blue fire flares high as the deal is struck. When it recedes, several things happen in rapid succession.

Bill's physical body turns to stone and falls from the air.

Dipper's own form sways only to be caught by Mabel before it can hit the floor.

Stan and Ford are freed from their restraints and rush to check on the younger set of twins.

"Dipper! Dipper, please, wake up!" Mabel pleads, "I don't know the chant! I can't remember any of the words! I can't help you against Bill! You need to wake up! Wake up! Dipper!"

Dipper's eyes glow yellow.


	8. Chapter 8

"He's unresponsive, but his vitals appear to be strong," Ford tells his brother. He's not certain whether or not Mabel is still listening after having bundled herself into a small, besweatered ball.

Stan nods, worry in his eyes. "What do we do, Ford?"

The scientist swallows thickly. He pulls the memory gun out and begins to twist the dial with deft fingers.

"Ford, what do you think you're doing?" Stanley yells.

"Nothing's changed," Stanford states in a flat voice, "The plan is still viable." He pulls the trigger before his brother can stop him. Or before he can stop himself.


	9. Chapter 9

Stanley tackles his twin and the memory gun hits the floor. Too late; or, perhaps, not a second too soon.

"How could you do that?!" the man howls and punches Ford in the face, "I thought you cared about the kid!" Another punch, another, another...

Stan's fists still. Ford isn't fighting back. He isn't even defending himself.

A tense handful of seconds pass. Stanford slowly opens his eyes and stares up at his brother. "Are you done?"

Not by a long shot, but  _ this _ \-- whatever it is -- isn't what he wants. Stan nods stiffly.

"Good." Ford's foot finds Stan's stomach.


	10. Chapter 10

"What is this?" Mabel asks. Her hands shake as she holds the memory gun, but the white-knuckle grip she has on the device ensures it won't be escaping her fingers any time soon. The words on the display don't make sense. "Grunkle Stan? Grunkle Ford? What is this?" she repeats, voice hitting a pitch that causes the two men in the clearing to flinch.

Both of the older twins stare at her for a drawn out moment, a lost look on each of their faces. Stan glares at the grass covered ground and swears.

The gun's display reads: **DIPPER PINES**.


	11. Chapter 11

Ford pushes himself up onto his feet. He crosses the meadow mechanically. "Go to Stanley," he instructs, voice soft and emotionless.

Mabel shakes her head frantically. "I can't do that! Dipper," she gasps and the tears begin to stream down her face, "Dipper needs me! I need to stay with Dipper."

Stanford doesn't attempt to dissuade her further. The man kneels in the grass in front of his great nephew in order to check his vitals for a second time. Mabel tosses the memory gun to the edge of the meadow and grabs hold of one of her twin's hands.


	12. Chapter 12

"Follow my finger with your eyes," Ford says. He's not actually expecting Dipper to react at all -- His great nephew has been dazedly looking around but largely unresponsive so far. -- so he is a bit surprised when the boy blinks and his eyes dutifully refocus of Ford's index finger and track its movement. "Good," he says upon the successful completion of the test. The almost-teenager appears to be fine physically, but the physical isn't what any of them were ever truly worried about. Ford braces himself and asks, "Do you know who I am?"

The young brunet frowns. "Um... Maybe?"


	13. Chapter 13

"Maybe?" Ford prompts. He tries hard to remain patient and not to become too hopeful. This could easily be nothing.

"My head feels all fuzzy, but you look familiar," the boy explains, his brow furrows deeper in thought, "Actually, you look a lot like Great Uncle Stanford, but we only see him around Christmas. And he's not a doctor. Dad says he lives up in Oregon the rest of the year and runs a tourist trap with enough puns to make Grandma Lita happy."

"Dipper!" Mabel squeals and tackles her brother to the ground with a tight hug. "You're okay!"


	14. Chapter 14

"Gah! Mabel!" the boy cries, "Can't breathe!"

His twin loosens her hold but doesn't let go. The girl giggles, more due to sheer relief than due to anything that could be considered funny. "Sorry, Dipper."

He returns his sister's hug without a second thought now that it isn't cutting off his oxygen supply, but he can't figure out what brought the hug on in the first place. Maybe she just decided he needed a hug for whatever reason, but... this doesn't feel like just another random Mabel-hug.

Something's wrong. He doesn't know what it is yet, but something is wrong.


	15. Chapter 15

He frowns at the sky in thought for several seconds before admitting to himself that he has no idea what he's doing here -- or even where 'here' is, exactly. He needs answers. "Mabel," he starts slowly, still trying to pick one question out of the many swarming his mind, "Why... Why are you calling me 'Dipper'?"

The girl pushes herself up on her hands and looks down at her brother in shock. "Wh-what?"

"Is it a new nickname? Because of," he waves a hand to indicate his forehead, "you know."

Mabel shakes her head. "You've been 'Dipper' for three years!"


	16. Chapter 16

"Oh," the boy's brow furrows deeper, "Mabel, I think I'm forgetting stuff."

The girl rolls off her brother and then pulls him up with her so that they are sitting up on the grass. "What kind of things?"

Her twin shrugs. "I'm not sure. Where are we even?"

"Oregon," Stanford cuts in, "Gravity Falls, specifically. Do you remember your name?"

"That's funny," the child says with a blink, "I almost didn't for second there. It's Mason Alex Pines." The boy places a hand to his head and frowns again. "Do I have a concussion?"

Ford hesitates and hedges, "It's possible."


	17. Chapter 17

"But we're pretty sure that's not what's messin' with your memories, if you even have one to begin with." Stan reclaims his fez and settles next to his twin with a soft groan. He clamps a hand down on  Ford's shoulder and whispers, "You're not getting off that easy for this, Poindexter, but the kid doesn't need the stress, so you're getting a stay of execution. A  _ short _ one."

"Great Uncle Stan?" the boy in question pipes up.

He returns his attention to Mason with a smile that doesn't reach his eyes. "Hey there, Kiddo, remember any of this summer?"


	18. Chapter 18

They spend over an hour in the meadow just asking Mason questions and helping him fill in the blanks in his mind. The missing memories remain lost and likely always will be -- despite Mabel's continued, desperate optimism -- but the boy is quick to put together what he is told with the memories he does still have. All told, he's forgotten the entire summer and roughly  _ half _ of the last three years since his sister first bestowed the nickname upon him. It's not ideal, but it's far better than it could have been.

Stanford's relief is chased by a damning realization.


End file.
